Expression constructs are useful to effect transgene expression in a target cell. Since many useful transgene products are not easily detected in a target cell, expression constructs harboring a reporter cassette are commonly used to monitor transgene delivery and expression. Multicistronic expression constructs, for example, constructs harboring a first expression cassette, e.g. comprising a first promoter and a first encoding nucleic acid sequence, and a second expression cassette, e.g. comprising a second promoter and a second encoding nucleic acid sequence, are particularly useful in the delivery of transgenes encoding non-translated gene products, such as hairpin RNAs, together with a reporter transgene, for example, a fluorescent protein. However, multicistronic expression constructs may be burdened with reduced expression levels of one or more of the included transgenes, for example, because of promoter interference or the presence of incompatible nucleic acid elements in close proximity. If a multicistronic expression construct is part of a viral vector, the inclusion of a hairpin RNA expression cassette may pose additional problems, for example, because the presence of a self-complementary nucleic acid sequence may interfere with the formation of structures necessary for viral reproduction or packaging.